“I was impressed with the polish,” Schilling continued. “Mechanics look like he never took a day off. This was fun to watch. This was good for baseball.”

Schilling, like many, many others, believes this Skeeters outing was a prelude to something bigger, potentially an outing with the Astros. Clemens has denied that since Monday, when the news broke he was going to pitch for the Skeeters.

Gaetti wouldn’t talk about the subject after the game either.

“Only he knows,” Gaetti said. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. This sure was a joy to have him around tonight.”

Clemens struck out the first batter he faced since appearance in the 2007 ALDS with the Yankees.

Joey Gathright, a former major-leaguer, struck out swinging to end a seven-pitch at-bat to open the game.

Clemens struck out Prentice Redman looking to end the first inning.

James Simmons got the only hit against Clemens, a liner up the middle with two outs in the second.

Clemens got Luis Rodriguez to ground out to third to end the eight-pitch inning.

He threw a perfect third inning, getting two flyouts and a groundout.

Clemens got Luis Figueroa to fly out to left to start the fourth and end his outing.

After he shook hands with Gaetti, Clemens walked back to the dugout and stopped near the first-base line.

He tipped his cap to the fans and enjoyed the roar of the crowd.

“It was fun to see him out there,” Gaetti said. “It’s just awesome. He did a great job. He really did.”

Clemens throws perfect third inning

Clemens threw his first perfect inning, getting two flyouts and a groundout in 13 pitches.

He’s thrown 36 pitches, 23 for strikes, so far.

Clemens gives up first hit

James Simmons got a hit up the middle on a 2-0 pitch with two outs in the second inning.

Clemens got Luis Rodriguez to ground out to third to end the inning.

He has thrown 23 pitches, 15 for strikes.

Two strikeouts for Clemens in the first

Roger Clemens threw 15 pitches — 11 for strikeouts — and struck out two in the first inning.

Joey Gathright, a former major-leaguer, struck out swinging in the first at-bat after grinding out a seven-pitch at-bat.

Luis Figueroa followed, grounding out to second.

Prentice Redman struck out looking, ending a five-pitch at-bat.

Clemens’ former pitching coach among scouts here

As the Red Sox’ pitching coach in the 1980s, Bill Fischer was on hand for the first flowering of Roger Clemens. Saturday, he walked to the Skeeters’ dugout at Constellation Field to see if a 50-year-old Clemens still had his stuff.

Fischer, 81, a senior pitching adviser for the Royals, was among scouts for three teams – the Royals, Astros and Orioles – scheduled to be on hand Saturday night for Clemens’ return to the mound against the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League.

He was glad to see Clemens, but he said this was a business trip.

“I want to see if he has any fastball left,” Fischer said. “The rest of the stuff – curveball and forkball at 75 mph or whatever – but without a fastball, you can’t pitch.”

Fischer said he last visited with Clemens two years ago and said he was not surprised that he still has the desire to pitch, even if it’s a one-time appearance with the minor league Skeeters.

“He never got old. He’s a young kid at heart. That’s the biggest part,” Fischer said. “The game never became a bore for him.”

— David Barron

Roger Clemens’ appearance a ‘big deal’

Fans began crowding the gates hours before Roger Clemens threw his first pitch Saturday at Constellation Field.

The line wrapped around the complex, and even a few tailgaters littered the parking lot.

“It’s a big deal,” Mike Bohny, 42, of Sugar Land, said.

“Everyone’s curious to see what he can do at 50 years of age, and just to see a legend pitch out here.”

Bohny, who played at Baylor from 1991 to 1994, brought his wife and three kids to the ballpark. They’ve been to several games this season, but they weren’t planning on attending this weekend.

That all changed on Monday.

“We wouldn’t have been here tonight if it wasn’t for Roger,” he said.

Rick Henderson, 38, of Katy, who pulled into the parking lot around 4 p.m., was one of the first people into the park, making a bee-line for the oversized wood rocking chairs in the right-field corner.

Like a lot of people, his surprise reached “utter amazement” when he learned Clemens would suit up for the Skeeters.

“It’s got to be historical,” he said.

“No other pitcher has ever done this, that I can remember, not in their 50s, especially somebody like Roger Clemens. Hopefully he’ll get his spot in the Hall of Fame, and all of that good stuff.

“Maybe this will help promote that.”

— Jason McDaniel

Just another sellout

The Skeeters have sold out 50 of their first 52 games this season at Constellation Field.

Of course, tonight’s game will be a bit different. There will be about 7,500 fans here, with people sitting wherever they can.

Pre-game: Tarp is off, and they are getting the field ready for baseball

Looks like weather won’t be an issue in delaying the game.

Pregame: The tarp is on the field, three hours before first pitch

Roger Clemens is set to make his return to professional baseball in about three hours for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

It’s raining here at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, but it looks like the weather should clear up before gametime.

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Below, we offering live coverage of the 7 p.m. game, which also is being aired on ESPN Classic.